Every wraith has his own worst enemy living in the back of
his head. Though the wraiths original personality, the Psyche,
is the face that a wraith presents to the world, his Shadow is
always there, seeking to twist and defile all that it can. The
whisperer in the dark, the bringer of temptation and scorn, a
wraiths Shadow is all of the malice and selfishness in his
soul given a voice that can never be stilled.

Just as the Psyche strives to follow its Passions, the Shadow
has Dark Passions to fulfill. A wraiths existence is fueled
by the pure emotional energy of Pathos, but his Shadow feeds on
its opposite, Angst. While Shadows arent exactly evil, they
are relentlessly negative and destructive. A combination of the
classic Freudian id and the bully from the elementary school playground,
the Shadow is possibly the worst thing about being a wraith. After
all, external voices can be drowned out somehow. No one can quiet
the tempter within.

The Shadows Face

A wraiths Shadow is an implacable, inescapable foe, common
to all of the Restless but uniquely personal. Selfish in its desires,
the Shadow is all of the malice, hate, greed and darkness that
is part of all of us, but refined, distilled and allowed to stand
on its own. It wants what it wants, selfishly and it chooses to
act without concern for the fact that its actions will inevitably
drag both Psyche and Shadow down to the Void. Indeed, most Shadows
would rather face annihilation than pay the piper for what theyve
done.

In the meantime, however, there are other goals to achieve:
perverting and corrupting the Psyche; taking over from the Psyche
when circumstances permits; feeding other wraiths to Oblivion;
spreading negative emotion; and thwarting the Psyches goals
whenever possible. A Shadow has reserves of strength that can
offer to the Psyche in times of need, but this help often comes
with a terrible price, and the wraith who starts to count on his
Shadows assistance may find that aid revoked at the worst
possible time.

A Shadow is a personality distinct from the Psyche, and many
go so far as to give themselves a name. It is a personality without
conscience or restraint, though it can fake both of these should
the need arise. There is also a definite sadistic streak in most
Shadows, and some will forgo a quick and easy victory in order
to prolong the Psyches agony.

Shadow Creation

Character creation isnt finished when youre done
with your characters Psyche. The Shadow is just as important
a part of a wraiths persona as the Psyche, and deservers
as much consideration and attention in its creation. A Shadow
whos an afterthought wont be interesting to play,
and without a strong Psyche/Shadow interaction, some of what makes
Wraith unique is lost.

Shadow creation should take place in conjunction with your
Storyteller. Its difficult to judge how strong your dark
side should be, and a Storytellers assistance in balancing
Psyche and Shadow is invaluable. Still, its your characters
Shadow; nobody knows his dark secrets better than you do.

Step One: Archetype

The first step in creating a believable Shadow is coming up
with a character concept. Merely taking your Psyches concept
and turning it upside down doesnt always work; after all,
the Shadow is its own personality. A characters Prelude
is often a good time to garner clues as to what sort of Shadow
she will have, as whatever negative traits she displays in real
life will literally take on a life of their own in the Underworld.

Below are a few sample Archetypes for Shadows. Some are variations
of existing Psyche Archetypes, others are unique to a wraiths
dark side. It is quite possible for a wraith to have the same
Nature and Shadow Nature; Psyche and Shadow can share an attitude
toward the world even with wildly differing perspectives.

Sample Archetypes

These are just some of the most common Shadow Archetypes, and
players should feel free to modify these or create ones of their
own. When it comes to this sort of thing, the darkness holds infinite
variety.

A Shadows Archetype serves as a method of interpreting
how that Shadow will assault its Psyche. A Shadow with the Leech
Archetype will whine and cajole in order to get its way, while
a Monster Shadow will be obscene and direct.

 The Abuser - Hurt terribly once, this impatient and
jealous Shadow exists to inflict his pain on others. He scrutinizes
the failures of everyone around him, heaping scorn upon them whenever
he can. This is done partially in order to bolster his own self-image,
but primarily to make everyone else hurt just as much as he does.
The Abuser will often goad you to attempt the impossible, just
to watch you fail so that he can dine upon the self-loathing failure
engenders. Chaotic and crazed, the Abuser will lash out at any
target other than his favorite one: himself.

When dominate, the Abuser will spew his vitriol in all directions.
Any excuse will set him off, and if no excuse is provided, he
will create one. Demands for obedience, absurd requests and systematic
verbal or physical abuse are this Shadows hallmarks. After
all, why should the rest of the world hurt less than he does?

 The Director - Quiet and organized, the Director will
take you apart with clockwork precision. Icy in her hatred, she
will strip your defenses away layer by layer, taking pleasure
in the surgical nature of the torment she inflicts. Theres
nothing personal in what the Director does; shes just setting
the record straight by removing any delusions you might have about
goodness, sanity or any other worthwhile qualities you thought
you had.

The Directors usual modus operandi is to rifle through
the back drawers of your mind, cataloging every weakness, every
painful memory and every personality flaw, no matter how minor.
This ammunition isnt randomly flung about, either, but is
hoarded for special occasions. When you grasp on reality starts
to falter, the Director knows just how much pressure to apply
in order to push you over.

When in control, the Director likes to lay long-range plans
for the next time she is dominant, and to prepare nasty little
revelations for you to discover at carefully timed intervals.
She also enjoys picking apart your companions, making cutting
observations that will poison any friendships you had made on
the other side. The fact that the Director is usually quite accurate
doesnt help matters, either.

 The Freak - Everything that you ever were ashamed of
wantig to do is what the Freak lives for. Gleefully perverse,
the Freak is an expression of pure self-hatred. It revels in taking
each of your imperfections and holding it up to the light, so
that it can be ridiculed by the rest of the world. Anything youre
ashamed of doing, the Freak will encourage you to do, and the
more you resist the more insistent hell become. Once you
give in, though, hell turn around and point out how perverted
you are, how sick your wants are, and how no one else would sink
as low as you. This wont keep him, however, from reminding
you how good all of those perversions felt, and how enjoyable
it would be to taste their pleasures again . Shame and abandon
are the Freaks favorite weapons, and he uses them as often
as he can.

A Freak in control is a frightening thing. Hell take
your darkest desires and play them out for the rest of the world,
leaving you to explain your actions when his control fades. Of
course, excavating others dirty little secrets is almost
as much fun, as far as the Freak is concerned.

 The Leech - Wearing on the will and nerves like sandpaper,
the Leech gets its way through whining and cajoling, begging and
throwing tantrums. Its a black hole for attention and affection,
and no matter how often you give in to its demands, its
never enough. No matter how much you give the Leech, it will want
more, and wont relent until its wants are satisfied for
the moment. Of course, the price of givin in again- and again,
and again, and again- is to go deeper and deeper in debt, sliding
slowly into Oblivion. Childish and selfish, the Leech can never
be satisfied, and every time you give it what it wants, its
that much harder to say no the next time.

When the Leech takes control, it attempts to work its wiles
on others in order to extract whatever sustenance they offer.
If permitted, it will drain everyone around it dry, then discard
the husks and set out to look for new victims. As far as the Leech
is concerned, everything others have and more is just its rightful
due. Its owed the world on a silver platter and more besides,
and woe betide any who try to tell a Leech otherwise.

 The Martyr - noble self-sacrifice has its place, but
what the Martyr offers is a shallow mocker instead. By constantly
demanding that you give of yourself because you can take the pain
better than anyone else, the Martyr cheapens your faith and indulges
your arrogance. Claiming your sacrifice will bring about a greater
good, the Martyr will then take pleasure in demonstrating that
your pain didnt do anything at all, and that all of your
suffering was pointless. Still, that wont keep it from urging
you to give up yourself for others every chance it gets. After
all, its just looking for a good excuse to take the easy
way out.

When the Martyr takes control, it will attempt to maneuver
you into situations where, no matter what, in order to escape
youll have to give up something important. The Martyr also
tries to arrange for witnesses whenever possible, so that its
very public sacrifices can be used to shame others into similarly
self-destructive acts.

 The Monster - Brutally direct, the Monster is all about
pain and greed. Whatever it wants, it will command you to take.
Whatever it hates, it will demand that you destroy. If you refuse,
it will try to destroy you as well, for it cannot stand to be
balked in any way. Theres no compromise or subtlety in the
Monster, and often its the most dignified and delicate wraiths
who have a Monster lurking behind their eyes.

To see the Monster dominant is to see a foreshadowing of Spectrehood.
It will lay waste to anything in its path, taking what it wants
and destroying everything else out of sheer spite. Gutteral and
vulgar, the Monster rarely has anything to say that isnt
an obscenity. Why bother being polite to anyone else when theyre
nothing more than obstacles to your pleasure?

 The Parent - No one else can love you as much, or as
well, as the Parent. No one else can take care of you aw well,
or make you as happy. The Parent even accepts all of your little
imperfections, which shell harp on endlessly in order to
prove to you that she loves you despite your nearly infinite flays.
Shell protect you from people who dont have your best
interests at heart, and only she can decide who those are (usually,
its everyone else you know). Youre her darkling baby,
so naturally shell help you with those hard decisions, and
even make them fro you. Mother knows best, even if you break her
heart by never listening to her and running around with those
Renegade hooligans .

When in command, the Parent will seek to insulate you from
any corrupting or dangerous influences (i.e., anyone and anything
else). To accomplish this, it will do and say anything to alienate
those who care about you, using the fat that they could be driven
off as proof that they werent really your friends anyways.
It just goes to show that shes right, and that no one else
can love you the way she does.

 The Perfectionist - Nothing you do will ever be good
enough for the Perfectionist. Perform seven impossible things
before breakfast, and hell be screaming at you for not having
pulled off eight. Any imperfection can serve as a launching point
for a tirade; any flaw will be a magnet for withering sarcasm.
By playing up your inevitable errors, the Perfectionist inspires
your self-hatred and saps your confidence in your own abilities.
Then, once your confidence is shot, hell be more than happy
to step in and show you haw to do things right. If you had any
sense at all, youd turn things over to him permanently and
make sure that everything got done properly the first time. Its
not like youre capable of it, after all.

When in control, the Perfectionist will take every example
to criticize whatever or whoever catches his eye. Hell also
take the opportunity to embroil you in impossible scenarios, anxiously
awaiting your inevitable failure. Still, at least he doesnt
play favorites. When everyone around him is equally flawed, one
targets as good as the next.

 The Pusher - The Pusher will always be glad to help
you achieve the impossible. He wants you to think of him as a
friend, a friend you can always ask for help. Of course, the price
for the Pushers help is always too high, and if you dont
pay, hell extract it with interest. Every so often when
youre counting on him, hell decide that you need to
appreciate him more, and hell withhold that support you
were counting on so desperately.

When the Pusher is in charge, hell do everything he can
to put you into situations youll need his help to escape.
The quicker he can make you rack up a debt to him, the happier
he is. Then again, an unhappy Pusher can be unpleasant indeed .

 The Rationalist - The Rationalist will give you all
of the right reasons for all of the wrong decisions. Calmly leading
you down the path to Oblivion, it offers rationales and explanations
for why you should do what it says. It offers proofs for the wisdom
of everything it tells you, making all of its suggestions seem
so sensible. The more you argue, the tighter its bonds of logic
become, and the more foolish you feel for resisting. In many ways
the Rationalist is similar to the Director, but without the Directors
personal involvement. As far as the Rationalist is concerned,
sending the Psyche to Oblivion is an intellectual exercise, albeit
a challenging one.

When dominant, the Rationalist takes precise, well-organized
steps toward the Void. It will sabotage your long-range plans
and set in motion ones that superficially look better; it will
systematically make you enemies and alienate or eliminate your
friends. Theres no sense in taking ones time giving
in to Oblivion, is there, when its assured of winning in
the end? The Rationalist is just making the surrender more efficient.

Step Two: Angst

Just as Pathos fuels a wraith, Angst powers her Shadow. A wraiths
Angst rating is indicative of the amount of negative emotional
energy she is carrying around with her. Angst is the measure of
a wraiths fear, pain and alienation, and the more of these
counterproductive energies a wraith harbors, the higher her Angst
score is. The higher the Angst score, of course, the more powerful
the Shadow is.

A wraiths permanent Angst score always starts less than
or equal to her permanent Willpower score. To determine a Shadows
starting Angst, roll a number of dice equivalent to the wraiths
Willpower against difficulty 6. The number of successes indicates
the number of permanent Angst points the wraith starts play with.
For purposes of this roll only, 1s do not cancel out
successes, and every wraith must start play with at least one
point of permanent Angst. Wraiths without permanent Angst immediately
Transcend, leading to very short chronicles.

Like Willpower, Angst can be spent (by the Shadow only) in
order to achieve automatic successes. Unlike Willpower, however,
temporary Angst can exceed its permanent rating, up to a maximum
of 10. When a wraiths temporary Angst exceeds her Willpower,
the Shadow can attempt to usurp control of the Corpus by means
of a Catharsis roll (see Catharsis). On the other hand, the Shadow
can elect to keep stockpiling temporary Angst. When temporary
Angst reaches 10, the Shadow assumes command permanently, and
the wraith becomes a Spectre. Of course, the change may not always
be obvious to her friends .

Temporary Angst ratings tend to vary wildly during play. Shadows
use Angst to power their special abilities (Thorns), and can expend
vast amounts of energy in their war against the Psyche. On the
other hand, a great many Arcanoi give their wielders temporary
Angst, and all Shadows have Dark Passions which can be fed as
well.

Step Three: Dark Passions

Just as a wraith has Passions, her dark side has Dark Passions.
These function in roughly the same manner that Passions do, feeding
the Shadow instead of the Psyche. Each Dark Passion should be
phrased in the same way a Passion is, with a brief imperative
description of the Dark Passion and its core emotion following
in parentheses. Dark Passion also has a rating to indicate how
strong the obsession is. For example, a wraith who was a frustrated
artist in life might have the Dark Passion Destroy works of
art better than those I could have made (Envy) 3. Dark Passions
often reverse a wraiths regular Passions, driving the Shadow
to hurt those the Psyche wants to protect, etc. On the other hand,
some Dark Passions can parallel normal Passions, and may have
nothing to do with a wraiths Passions at all.

Dark Passions can be increased during the freebie points section
of Shadow creation, but each wraith starts with seven points.

Creating Dark Passions

One of the most difficult aspects of creating a Shadow is coming
up with appropriate Dark Passions. Often, its enough to
take a wraiths normal Passions and invert them. A wraith
whose Passion is to Protect my wife (love) 5 might well
have a Dark Passion of Destroy my wife (Hate) 4 to reflect
both that the Psyche is stronger than the Shadow, and that the
Shadow usually wishes to counter the Psyches desires on
a general principle.

On the other hand, not all Dark Passions are linked directly
to Passions. A Dark Passion based around the emotion of Self-Hatred,
for example, could be Dive into a Nihil (Self-Hatred) 2,
while a Rage-based Dark Passion could simply be Cause random
destruction (Rage) 3. Other emotions that commonly serve as
the core for Dark Passions include Engy, Lust, Twisted
Love, Greed, Hate and Fear.

Some Dark Passions stem instead from what the character does.
A wraith skilled in Argos might have a Dark Passion that reads
Lose people in the Tempest (Hate) 3. An Artificer could
have a Dark Passion like Soulforge all of my Circlemates (Greed)
3. In the end, the most important thing is to draw an emotion
that the character is likely to feel a suppress, and a logical
action for them to take in connection to this emotion.

Step Four: Freebie Points

When the basics of Shadow creation are finished, there are
still 10 freebie points left with which you can round out your
Shadows's personality and abilities. Freebies can purchase additional
Angst (permanent or temporary), new or stronger Dark Passions,
or special abilities Shadows have, called Thorns. A wraith's permanent
Angst score can never exceed her permanent Willpower score at
the start of play, but temporary Angst can be bought up to nine.
Furthermore, while additional dots in Dark Passions can be purchansed
with freebies, the number of dots in Dark Passions can never exceed
the number of dots a wraith has in her regular Passions.

Permanent Angst - 5 points per dot

Temporary Angst - 2 points per dot

Dark Passions - 1 point per dot

Thorns - Variable

Thorns

Thorns are certain, unique powers the Shadow has at its disposal.
These range from minor tricks to potent abilities that can threaten
a wraith's very existence, and their use is entirely up to the
Shadowguide. The Shadow can also use Thorns (when applicable)
during Catharsis.

Spectre Prestige: (1 point/level)

Many Spectres have the ability to communicate with wraiths'
Shadows. Shadows with this Thorn have garnered the respect of
the Shadow-Eaten, and will be treated accordingly.

Dark Allies: (1 point/level)

A Shadow with Dark Allies regularly communicates and plots
with Spectres, and can call on them for aid.

Tainted Relic: (1 point/level)

The Shadow has an important relic that manifests only when it is in power. This relic could be a mask, a weapon or some other item. The character should be able to recognze its origin if it is described to him or if he sees it in a mirror; the relic usually had some some significance to the character in life, whether she admits it or not. The manifestation of this relic demonstrates to others in the wraith's Circle that the Shadow is in control.

Infamy: (1 point/level)

Memoriam for the Shadow, Infamy is the measure of how much
feat and loathing the wraith still inspires in the living. Just
as Pathos can accumulate for the Psyche, Angst can collect for
the Shadow.

Every time a wraith with Infamy falls into Slumber, the Shadowguide
rolls one point for each point of the Thorn possessed. The difficulty
on this roll is 6, and each success gives the Shadow a point of
Temporary Angst. Botches remove temporary Angst, and just might
cause the living to think more kindly of the wraith. . . .

No more than five points of Infamy can be taken, and an Infamous
wraith had best be prepared to deal with the consequences of the
hatred of the living.

Death's Sigil: (1 to 3 points)

Death's Sigil is a prominent sign of Oblivion's touch on a
character that manifests no matter where she goes. Each Sigil
is unique; one wraith might have wings of choking smoke, another
might leave footprints of seawater in the Skinlands, and a third
could exude the odor of a charnel house. This Thorn naturally
makes a wraith very distinctive, with all of the advantages and
disadvantages this offers. Only by spending a Willpower point
can a wraith turn off the effects of this Thorn for a scene.

The more points put into the Thorn, the more pronounced the
effect is. A one-point Sigil might not be that noticable, while
the three-point version could go so far as to alter the effects
of the wraith's Arcanoi.

Shadow Traits: (2 points)

The Shadow can purchase one dot of any Attribute or Ability that the Shadow can bestow as a bonus to the Dice Pool for that Trait. The Attribute or Ability must be specified when the Thorn is bought during the creation of the Shadow. The character may access the Shadow Trait at will, but the Shadow gains one temporary Angst each time the character accepts help and makes a roll using the Shadow Trait.

Aura of Corruption: (2 points)

Through this Thorn's effects, the Shadow somehow defiles the
wraith's presentation of herself, making her presence unpleasant
to other wraiths. The effect of Aura of Corruption is generally
not grotesque; instead it is subtly disturbing. Indeed, it may
have no overt impact, merely serving to make other uncomfortable.

If a wraith has Aura of Corruption, all difficulties on social
interaction rolls are raised by +2. This Thorn can be purchased
only once.

Shadow Call: (2 points)

Shadow Call allows a wraith's Shadow to summon nearby Spectres.
This Thorn can only be used when a wraith is in the Tempest or
standing at the mouth of a Nihil, otherwise it has no effect.
The Shadow Call is audible on the edge of a wraith's consciousness
as a thin, piercing shriek; in time most wraiths will come to
recognize its significance.

To make a Shadow Call, the Shadowguide spends a temporary Angst
point and rolls against his permanent Angst score (difficulty
7). The number of successes indicates the number of Spectres summoned,
however, the type of Spectre that answers the Shadow Call is entirely
up to the Storyteller.

Pact of Doom: (3 points)

The Shadow can make a pact with its host, granting increased
knowledge of Arcanos in exchange for greater control. Each pact
spells out the host's duties and exactly how much Arcanos knowledge
is granted. A pact cannot be forced on a character - she must
accpet it knowingly . When a pact is made, the Shadow gains a
number of permanent Angst points equal to the level or levels
of Arcanos it teaches. A Shadow doesn't have to know the Arcanos
to teach it: it may simply access that information from the body
of arcane knowledge all creatures of Oblivion can access. This
Thorn can be purchased only once.

Tainted Touch: (3 points)

Whenever the character touches something or someone, there
is a chance the thing or person will become tainted with Oblivion.
Roll three dice (difficulty 6). The number of successes equals
the number of Angst points or Health Levels that the Shadow inflicts
on the target. The character can fight this Thorn by spending
a Willpower point and making a Willpower roll (difficulty 6);
the number of successes on the roll must equal or exceed the Taint
roll. This Thorn mat be purchased only once.

Trick of the Light: (3 points)

The Shadow can subtly alter the perceptions of a character
to fit its needs. This is a very, very subtle power of the Shadow,
but is extremely potent when used correctly. The Shadow spends
one Angst point per scene to maintain the perception-shift. Note
that this tool only covers one sense per use: multiple senses
require multiple expenditures of Angst. The Shadowguide, not the
Storyteller, describes what the character senses.

Bad Luck: (3 points)

The Shadow can spend Angst points to reduce the number of successes
gained by its host character, just as the player can spend Willpower
to increase the number of successes.

Doppleganger: (3 points)

The Shadow can appear as one completely different person. The
person can be known or unknown. This makes it difficult for the
character's friends to recognize him if his Shadow takes over.

Shadow Familiar: (5 points)

The Shadow has a smaller spirit of Oblivion that acts as its
familiar spirit. This familiar can be the Shadow's eyes, ears
and voice. It is usually relatively harmless, for it is not menat
to be anything more than a spy. The familiar is small, but may
be any shape desired by the Shadow.

Freudian Slip: (5 points)

By spending an Angst point, the Shadow may cause the character
to take an involuntary, sudden, action, or may insert a single,
unbidden thought into the character's head. This can be resisted
by the character spending a Willpower point and making a Willpower
roll (difficulty 7). One success is needed to resist.

Shadow Life: (5 points)

The Shadow lives a parallel life. Whenever the character Slumbers,
the Shadow takes over and acts without her knowledge. This can
lead to some vey interesting problems as the character meets people
whom the Shadow has wronged or attacked in some way. The character
may not even know about this property of his Shadow. For two more
points of Thorn, the character suffers a mental block about the
fact. This Thorn may be purchased only once.

Devil's Dare: (7 points)

By investing a number of Angst points into a single command
and writing that command on a note to be passed to a player, the
Shadowguide can stipulate some action that the Psyche must take.
The Devil's Dare must be very specifically defined, and must be
something that the character can actually do. The angst points
are immediately spent. Each point of Angst so spent represents
the severity of the action: if the action is very severe, the
player may petition the Storyteller to have it lowered. If, by
the end of the session, the dare isn't somehow worked into the
character's actions, then the character loses the number of Willpower
points equal to the Angst invested in the dare.

Catharsis

Whenever temporary Angst exceeds the Psyche's permanent Willpower,
the Shadow can attempt to dominate the wraith. If this happens,
the Shadow controls all the wraith's actions. The player, not
the Shaodwguide, runs the character, but conform to the Shadow
personality.

The Catharsis Roll

The Shadow makes a control roll by one temporary Angst point
and rolling a number of dice equal to its temporary Angst. The
Psyche may resist with a (permanent) Willpower roll, adding Eidolon
dice if apporpriate. Both rolls are at a difficulty of 6. The
Shadow stays in control for an entire scene, at which time it
returns control to the Psyche.

When the Shadow is dominant, it interacts with the world the
only way it knows how. It can gain Angst through its Dark Passions.
It may utilize any of the Psyche's Arcanos. It may use Thorns,
such as Doppleganger, Shadow Relic and Infamy. It may not cause
the Psyche to regain Pathos, nor can it refuel the Pathos of the
Pysche once it is spent. The Shadpw cannot expend Willpower, nor
can it reduce the character's PAthos below 1.

The Shadow uses Catharsis as a threat: it is the ultimate attack
against the Psyche. Durring Catharsis, the Shadow can choose to
"cut off" a Psyche from his senses, thereby performing
things in secret that will later come back to haunt the character.
This eefect can only be resisted with Eidolon dice.

ANGST

Angst represents the degree of pain and isolation a wraith
feels, and indicates the relative strength of the Shadow. Again.
if the Shadow has 10 points of temporary Angst while it is dominant,
it can trade these for one point of permanent Angst. As permanent
Angst grows, the character slips ever closer to Oblivion.

Gaining Angst

There are several ways the Shadow can gain Angst:

 Shadow Dice - The shadow can offer her Psyche extra
dice on any roll that the player makes. One point of Angst is
gained for eacjh botch that occurs omn the Shadow Dice. (for each
"1" rolled on Shadow Dice, subtract one success, but
only from the Shadow Dice.) The Shadow can offer a maximum of
five extra dice to any roll.

 The Shadow's Passions - By accomplishing its goals,
the Shadow can gain Angst points. Roll the appropriate Dark Passion
in situations where the Shadow is fulfilling that Passion (difficulty
7), and add one point of Angst for evey success. When the Shadow
forces the emotion underlying a Drak PAssion on someone else instead
of fulfilling the purpose, the difficulty is 9.

 Arcanos - Some Arcanos give the Shadow Angst even when
the Psyche is dominant.

Important Note: If the Shadow is dominant, it can still use
Arcanos, but powers that normally give the user Angst will instead
cost the Shadow Angst. Regardless of which "side" is
dominant, Arcanos must be fueled by Pathos.

Losing Angst

There are several wys the Shadow can lose Angst:

 Castigation by another wraith - This Arcanos is specifically
designed to reduce the Angst of another wraith. Note, however,
that unless a wraith is using the Arcanos: Defiance, he may not
Castigate himself.

 Using certain Arcanos while the shadow is dominant -
When the Pysche is dominant, some Arcanos give a wraith Angst
if he fails or botches a roll. If the Shadow is dominant, these
Arcanos instead reduce Angst. Arcanos that normally cost Willpower
actually increase Willpower if the Shadow is dominant.

 Botching any roll when the shadow is Dominant - The
Shadow cannot stand to see its own failure. If the Shadow botches
any roll while domiant, it loses a point of temporary Angst.

The Harrowing

Because wraiths do not have to fear death, many of them act
with impunity in the Underworld, thinking that they are somehow
immortal in their Restless state. This is not true. When a wraith
loses all of her Corpus, she immediately plunges into the Tempest.
Here, she experiences a nightmare staged for her by her Shadow.
This process is called the Harrowing.

The Harrowing is like a theatre of torture, a highly ritualistic
challenge. It is designed to empower the Shadow and rip apart
those things so dear to the wraith: her own Passions and Fetters.

The stage is set in the Labyrinth, a twisted network of tunnels
and caverns, chambers and endless stairs that the Spectres use
to move about the Tempest. The Labyrinth responds to the Shadow's
ministrations, evoking scenery of stark nightmare at a moment's
whim. The players are Shades and other dread creatures of the
Labyrinth. The star is the fallen wraith, bodiless, without a
shell to surround her fragile Psyche. The director is the Shadow,
who whispers the wraith's darkest secrets to the assembled hordes,
and who manipulates them like a maestro.

The result is horror created expressly for the wraith. And
the last act, the Shadow hopes, will be the wraith's plunge into
Oblivion (IE. No more wraith).

The Beginning

It is important to establish a sense of normalcy for the begiing
of the Harrowing. The character regains a semblance of a body,
although this is not his Corpus: it is merely a mental projection.
Usually, the Shadow chooses a typical scene from the life of the
wraith, thus giving the wraith a sense of deja vu, although some
Shadows start with the gore right away. In some cases, the Shadow
will choose the Quarry of the Harrowing, an aspect ofthe character
that it will attempt to destroy. This is either a particular Passion
(in which case the Harrowing is infused with a motif, mood or
tone representing that Passion) or a particular Fetter (in which
case the Quarry is part of the scenery or one of the players in
the dark drama). If the Harrowing began because the character
lost all his levels of Corpus or all his Willpower, there is no
Quarry. The character is on the verge of Oblivion.

If a Fetter or Passion is targeted, the Shadowguide should
choose it with care. The Quarry should be a PAssion or Fetter
that the character has neglected, or one that has troubled the
character. It is easier to destroy a weak Passion or Fetter than
it is to destroy a strong one.

The Shadow must spend six temporary Angst points in order to
initiate a Harrowing for the purpose of severing a Fetter orextinguishing
a Passion. If a Shadow doesn't have six temporary Angst points
to spend, it cannot initiate a Harrowing, although it can still
try to call Shades to the wraith's location. In this case, the
wraith's Psyche simply floats helplessly in the Tempest for a
number of scenes equal to his Fetter rating, at which point it
snaps back to that fetter in the Shadowlands, and the wraith's
Corpus re-forms.

The Middle

Next, you advance the plot of the nightmare along simple lines
and introduce other characters. These characters will be played
either by the Shadow (in most cases) or by various Spectres. Build
the mood and tone of the story and add some repulsive elements.

System: You may want to let the character involved in
the story make Ability rolls. This is also the stage where the
character may make Eidolon rolls (difficulty 9) to change aspects
of the nightmare. The change must make sense in terms of the story
being told, and it can only serve to defend and help the wraith
escape the Harrowing. In general, even successful Ability rolls
should only prolong the terror, merely giving the character the
illusion of control over an inexorable force.

The End

During the climax of the Harrowing, the wraith is presented
with a dilemma. The outcome of the dilemma dtermines whether or
not the wraith loses the target of the Harrowing, which must be
included as part of the nightmare.

System: The dilemma shouldn't be a simple roll. You
should either make it a decision on the part of the character,
which you then judge in terms of a "successful" decision,
a "failure" decision or a "botch" decision;
or make the dilemma's outcome dependent on roleplaying culminating
in a single, modified roll.

Success - Successfully solving a dilemma lets a wraith escape
from the Harrowing. He is snapped back to a Fetter, where his
Corpus re-forms (the wraith regains a number of Corpus Levels
equal to Stamina). No Willpower is lost (any spent during the
Harrowing is regained), nor does the wraith lose a Fetter or Passion.

Failure - When a wraith fails to solve a dilemma, he must roll
the rating of his Fetter or Passion (difficulty 8). He loses a
number of points from the rating equal to his number of failures
or botches. Still, he escapes the Harrowing and can roll for Corpus
renewal normally.

Botch - If a wraith botches the dilemma, he loses the Passion
or Fetter outright. Additionally, he plays right into the Shadow's
clutches and experiences a moment of weakness as it triumphs.
The Shadow rolls its Angst versus the wraith's Willpower: if the
Shadow wins, the character is dead forever.

If the Harrowing began because the character was reduced to
zero Corpus, zero Passion or zero Willpower, no one Fetter or
Passion is applicable, so no such roll is made. The character
is directly confronted by the possibility of her own death. The
end of the Harrowing results in an opposed roll between permanent
Willpower and permanent Angst. If the Shadow wins, the character
is utterly consumed by Oblivion.